


Liquid Gold

by MereLoup



Series: Crème de la crème [3]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: #noregrets, (because y'all know I always end up making it kinkier and kinkier with each chapter), Alpha Derek Hale, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Werewolves Are Known, Businessman Derek, Derek is such a dork when it comes to feeling feelings, I'll update the tags each time I post, M/M, Older Derek Hale, Omega Stiles Stilinski, Younger Stiles, he is so obviously head over heels for Stiles it's ridiculous
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 03:44:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13138374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MereLoup/pseuds/MereLoup
Summary: Derek knew Stiles wanted to talk about the upcoming trip, but with all of the tension that was radiating off of him, Derek wasn’t getting a very good feeling about what it was Stiles would have to say.“You said you needed to talk to me about San Francisco?” he prompted.“I did.” Stiles nodded, shifting in his seat and leaning forward closer to Derek.Derek lifted his eyebrows expectantly, but waited patiently while Stiles seemed to brace himself for this discussion.“I can’t go.”*Derek Hale has been falling for Stiles ever since the first time he laid eyes upon him. After a passionate rendezvous at Derek's penthouse, Derek ended up inviting Stiles to accompany him on a business trip to San Francisco. But when obstacles begin to pop up left and right, Derek has to wonder if things were doomed from the start, or if he needs to work harder for their happily ever after.





	Liquid Gold

**Author's Note:**

> And so, my lovelies, 'tis the beginning of the end. This is the third and final installment in the _Crème de la crème_ verse. If you haven't read the first two installments, I doubt this will make much sense. But who am I to tell you how to live your life? Start reading wherever you damn well please.
> 
> This chapter is a little mellow, because I needed to get some plot in there *somewhere* before I turn it into a gigantic kinky smutfest the way I usually do. 
> 
> I have no beta; all mistakes are my own fault. *shrugs*

  
  
  
*  
Of all the days in the work week, Derek disliked Thursdays the most. 

Thursday was far enough into the week where he had already emotionally detached from everything work related, but the work week wasn’t finished yet, so he had to exert as much energy as he could possibly muster in order to survive until the weekend. 

But this Thursday in particular seemed to require extra effort than usual, because nowadays, Derek’s weekend plans were much more exciting. 

In the past, Derek would spend them working out, eating, watching Lifetime Movie Network, or getting more work done, nowdays, weekends meant having more time to talk to Stiles. 

Ever since the the omega had spent the night at Derek’s penthouse, the two had been texting back and forth nonstop, and Derek could feel himself falling harder and faster for the plucky omega. 

Stiles was pretty busy during the afternoons and he worked late into the night, whereas Derek started his workday early and didn’t seem to get home until the evening; so they always seemed to just miss one another. They left messages for the other to get back to when they had a few moments to get to the phone. 

Whenever Derek got home from the office and saw a text from Stiles, he was absolutely overcome with giddiness, feeling the proverbial butterflies in his stomach fluttering around excitedly as he read Stiles’ messages.

When replying, Derek would always draft about 3 or 4 texts, before finally settling on the exact thing he wanted to say, and sending them off, nervously chewing at his thumbnail as he watched the status go from “sent” to “read”. 

One night, after Derek cheekily inquired about how the lovebites he’d left on Stiles neck were healing, he ended their text conversation with _“Goodnight and sweet dreams”_.

Stiles didn’t reply, and Derek immediately felt embarrassed that maybe he was being too clingy. And so, that night , he fell asleep metaphorically cringing and wishing that he had the self awareness to quit while he was ahead and stop looking so pathetic in front of the omega of his affections. 

However, when he woke up for work the next morning, there was a text from Stiles at nearly 3 a.m., most likely written after the end of a shift at Dolce, that read: _Sweetest dreams to you and I hope you have a good morning and a wonderful day at work ;)_

Derek was halfway tempted to take a screenshot of the message and set it as his lockscreen background, but if anyone at the office saw it, no one would take him seriously ever again. 

That set the precedent for all of their messages to one another, and every day Stiles wished Derek a good morning, while Derek wished Stiles a good night. 

Despite all of their message to one another, Stiles had yet to bring up the upcoming trip to San Francisco that Derek had invited him on. 

Derek didn’t want to press the issue, but every day that passed without a comment on whether or not he could go, Derek grew more and more anxious that Stiles was having second thoughts about going at all.

*

 

Derek was standing up, staring out the large floor to ceiling window of the conference room, while Boyd ran over the highlights of the meetings with the various departments. He was only half listening to what Boyd was saying, his mind far too occupied with thoughts of Stiles.

As much as Derek tried to push it down and ignore his anxiousness, he couldn’t stop thinking about the possibility that Stiles didn’t want to go. 

“Starting next quarter, we’re going to gut R&D, and instead fill the floor with trampolines to build company morale.”

Derek knew that inviting someone on a weekend away after only a few weeks of knowing each other was ridiculous. Perhaps his offer was too forward, and Stiles was uncomfortable with the thought of traveling with a virtual stranger. 

“And then once production rolls out after the AI merger, we would like for us to enforce ‘Free Hug Friday.’ So every Friday everyone will have to receive a hug on their way out of the building, if we can get approval from the board, of course.”

“Of course,” Derek replied rotely, running a hand through his hair, and turning back around to sit down at the table.

Stiles had seemed enthusiastic enough when Derek brought up the idea, but then again, maybe he couldn’t figure out a way to decline without hurting Derek’s feelings. When it came to how he felt about the omega, Derek was sure he was wearing his heart on his sleeve. Maybe his enthusiasm was a bit too much for Stiles. 

“We’ve contacted MTV about getting a crew up here to film a reality show about you, Laura and Peter. So expect for a camera crew to be following you around 24/7 from now on.”

“Got it,” Derek nodded, glancing down at his phone for what must have been the hundredth time in the last hour. He’d sent a message to Stiles this morning, but he still hadn’t seen a reply. 

“And when I talked to Peter, he mentioned he was working on a proposal to sponsor a dolphin sanctuary, so we could teach them how to fight crime and work as counterterror agents.”

Derek nodded, “Sounds great.”

The time that he and Stiles had spent together at the pent house was _incredible_. If Derek thought that he’d be able to get the omega out of his system after that, he was sorely mistaken. It was almost as if Stiles was awakening something deep inside of Derek that he didn’t know existed. Something instinctual. The desire to stay holed up indoors where the rest of the world couldn’t bother them, knotted up and come drunk.

“The best offense is a good defense,” Boyd continued, “So the logical next step in fighting crime would be to incorporate animals. We need them as our allies. We’ll start with squirrels, train them to crawl in vents and whatnot, and extract information. But only if I can get your permission.”

Derek replied distractedly, “Yeah, sure, I trust you.”

Maybe he needed to pump the breaks on how quickly this thing with Stiles was moving. Maybe Derek had gotten so caught up in it, that he was making Stiles feel weird. Maybe--

“Derek!” Boyd said, snapping his fingers in front of Derek’s face.

Derek started, lurching backward a bit, and his thoughts rooting themselves in the here and now.

“Have you been listening to _anything_ I’ve been saying?”

“Yeah, of course,” Derek replied, defensive.

Boyd leaned back in his chair, pointedly raising his eyebrows and giving him a look of skepticism. He opened his mouth to say something, before his expression shifted from smug to curious.

“Is this about that omega?”

“What omega?” Derek flushed, which probably rendered his attempt deflection completely useless. 

Boyd rolled his eyes and smirked, shaking his head. “Whichever omega it was responsible for you coming in on Monday reeking of sex.”

Derek slouched down in his chair, furrowing his eyebrows.

“I didnt _reek_ ,” he grumbled.

“Dude! You smelled like you’d spent the whole weekend getting fucked six ways to Sunday.” Boyd tipped his head back, laughing loudly. “Don’t get me wrong man, I’m proud as hell, but there is no way you can deny the way you smelled.”

Okay, so yeah, Derek knew that he must have smelled _somewhat_ different. He had spent the entire time wrapped around the omega, and he knew their scents had co-mingled with each others. 

But he didn’t think it was _completely_ obvious.

“You deserve it,” Boyd grinned, rolling his eyes. “You work too hard, man. You gotta cut loose every now and then.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Derek replied, sitting up in his chair and gesturing back to the files spread all over the conference table. “So can we get back to work now?”

“Did this omega help you get over the other one you were pining over?” Boyd said, clearly not letting Derek off the hook any time soon. 

At Derek’s confused look, Boyd clarified.

“The one you were trying to get a hold of a while back?”

Oh. That.

“It’s, uh--” Derek scratched his neck self-consciously, feeling more and more uncomfortable with the line of questioning. “It’s the same omega, actually.”

Boyd’s surprise lasted only a second, before he burst out laughing again. 

“Wait a minute, so the omega you were practically waiting by the phone for-”

“I was not _waiting_ by the phone,” Derek grumbled.

Boyd continued, talking over him, “--is the _same_ omega you spent the night with?”

Derek shrugged one shoulder, unable to hide the way his chest puffed up proudly.

Boyd grinned wolfishly, “I’m proud of you, man.”

“Whatever,” Derek rolled his eyes and waving a hand dismissively, trying, and failing, to hide the satisfied smirk on his face. “Can we _please_ get back to the is meeting?”

“Sure thing,” Boyd nodded. “So about this dolphin sanctuary…”

“The dolphin _what?_ ” Derek sputtered.

* 

The next day over breakfast, Derek called Stiles again, but was met with his voicemail. He decided against leaving a message, preferring to call him back later once he was at the office. 

Instead, he took a picture of his food, typing out a quick _Wish you were here to share it with me_. But, while his finger hovered over ‘send’, he debated whether or not he should send it. 

The last thing Derek wanted to do was seem too clingy. 

In the end, he decided against it and deleted the message entirely, slipping his phone back in his pocket with a slow sigh.

* 

Peter popped his head in the doorway to Derek’s office, interrupting him as he was reading over quarterly reports.

“Are you busy?”

“Always,” Derek replied, leaning back in his chair to look up at his uncle. “What do you need?”

Peter waltzed into Derek’s office, helping himself to a peppermint candy from the bowl on Derek’s desk, before sitting down in the chair. 

“My secretary was preparing the itinerary for San Francisco and she mentioned that you were staying at different hotel.” 

Derek cringed internally, not knowing how exactly to break the news to his uncle. 

“I might be, but it’s nothing is for sure yet.”

Derek’s own travel plans depended on whether or not Stiles wanted to come with him.

Normally, Peter and Derek stayed in the same hotel, even if they had separate suites. But if Stiles was going to be joining him, Derek wanted to pull out all the stops and treat Stiles to a trip he’d never forget. If that was the case, then Derek had no qualms about staying somewhere much classier than he usually stayed for business trips, all for the sake of showing Stiles a good time.

“Have I done something to _offend_ you, Derek?” Peter asked sarcastically. 

Derek knew that his uncle’s feelings weren’t actually hurt. It was more about the fact that once Peter was able to stop thinking about himself for long enough to even notice what others were doing, he was actually quite a nosey bastard. 

“I’m bringing a date,” Derek replied firmly, hoping his uncle would just leave it at that.

“A date?” Peter snarked, reaching out to dig through the peppermint bowl again. “Since when do you date?” 

Peter dug through the candy, picking up a piece now to examine it, before tossing it back in the bowl and searching for another piece. 

“I date…” Derek frowned. “They’re all the same candy, Peter. What are you even looking for?”

Peter raised an eyebrow, looking up at Derek, and plucking up a piece of candy at random, never breaking eye contact. 

“When I’m in the mood, yes, I do date,” Derek sighed. “I just haven’t been in the mood for the past while.”

“Anyone I might know?” Peter was trying for subtle. 

There was absolutely nothing about Peter Hale that could be described as subtle. 

Before Derek even had the chance to lie, Peter picked up on the change of Derek’s heartbeat and sat up in the chair, his eyes zeroing in on Derek. 

“Oh my god, I _do_ know them,” a mischievous smile spread across his face. “Who is it?”

If Derek had learned about anything interacting with Peter, it’s that there was no use trying to hide anything from him, because your desire to keep it secret would kick his interest into overdrive, and he’d double down on any investigation attempts.

“I mean I _might_ be bringing a date,” Derek amended. “It depends if he’s able to get the time off work.

“Is it someone who works for us?” Peter grinned.

“No.” Derek drummed his fingers on his desk for a few moments, deciding how much he wanted to actually tell Peter. “Do you remember the omega from Dolce? The one we…..” Derek wasn’t sure what terminology to use for this, “ordered?”

“ _Cinnamon?!” he blurted, smiling lecherously._

“His name isn’t Cinnamon,” Derek rolled his eyes. “But, yeah. That’s him.”

“Derek, don’t tell me you asked a sex worker to be your date to a work event. Just because he was our server that night doesn’t mean he was into you.” Peter’s tone was mocking, but strangely, Derek sensed that Peter was actually warning him about something.

“We’ve seen each other since that night,” Derek shrugged, blushing slightly. “A few times actually.”

“When did you go back to the bar?” Peter asked, his tone suspicious.

Derek groaned. He did _not_ want to tell his uncle about Stiles’ performance in the Velvet Lounge. 

“He gave me his number, that first night at the bar.”

Peter’s expression shifted, and Derek could tell Peter was replaying the entire night in his head. 

His eyes widened suddenly, recognition dawning on his expression, and he looked back up to Derek. “That waiter who ran out to the car...”

Derek nodded, a grin spreading on his face.

“ _That_ was you getting his number?”

“I called him and we agreed to meet at the penthouse. He came over and he spent the night.” 

“At your place?” Peter leaned forward, listening intently to Derek. “ _I’m_ barely allowed at your place.”

This was a big deal. 

An alpha inviting anyone into their space made quite a statement. An unmated omega being invited to, and spending the night in, an alpha’s lair was an even bigger statement. 

“I think we’re kind of sort of dating?” Derek scratched his neck, tilting his head to the side.

“You think?” Peter snorted sarcastically. 

He reached forward again to grab another peppermint candy, but Derek leaned forward and slapped the back of Peter’s hand, causing him to drop the candy back into the bowl. Peter glared at Derek, but sat back in his seat.

“We want to see where it goes.”

“And do you think you’ll be okay sharing him with everyone at the bar?” Peter countered, his tone sounded casual, but Derek could tell there was something else brewing under the surface. Derek wasn’t sure if this was about the peppermint, or about Stiles. 

“I’m not delusional enough to think that after three weeks of knowing him I can ask him to leave his job.”

“I’d think not,” Peter quipped. “Do you _want_ him to leave?”

Yes. 

The automatic, instinctual answer was Yes. 

But Derek understood that a lot of that was primal, his wolf not wanting to share his mate with other alphas, not wanting his mate to be intimate with anyone else. His mate--

Derek’s thoughts froze suddenly.

_Mate_.

It was way too soon for Derek to be using the M word. 

Peter must have mistaken Derek’s silence as the end of the discussion. 

“Well, it’s still early days,” Peter said, using Derek’s internal struggle as the perfect distraction to pluck out another peppermint from the bowl, before he stood up abruptly from his chair. “We’re still taking the jet together, I assume?”

“Yeah, we’ll fly out together,” Derek sighed. “I’ll handle my own hotel reservations. If Stiles can make it out there with me, I want to make it nice.”

Peter rolled his eyes. “How romantic.”

Derek took a peppermint out of the bowl and threw it at Peter. Peter caught it, and slid it into his pocket with a smug smile. 

“What about you?” Derek asked.

“What _about_ me?”

“Are you going to try to lure Chris Argent back to your room?”

“Don’t be crass, Derek.” Peter huffed indignantly, sauntering out of Derek’s office. 

Derek reached into the bowl to pick out a candy of his own, smiling smugly at the fact that Peter never denied the accusation.

*

Derek had an early afternoon meeting. 

Well, _technically_ it was a meeting, but it was only with Laura, so it wasn’t too big of a deal. 

It did last longer than he would have expected, though, and when Derek finally got out of her office and was able to check his phone, he saw that he had several missed calls from Stiles and one text message that simply read: _Call me when you can._

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath. 

Derek ducked into a nearby conference room that wasn’t being used and hit the call button on his phone, dialing Stiles. While he waited for the call to connect, his fingers worried at a small thread that was sticking out on the inside of the pocket of his slacks. 

The longer the phone rang, got more and more nervous about what Stiles had to say. He tugged at the thread in his pocket, tearing it off entirely. 

“Derek, hey!” Stiles answered finally, sounding a little out of breath. 

All Derek’s doubts faded away, and he smiled in relief at the sound of Stiles’ voice. In the background, Derek could hear the sounds of the crowded Manhattan streets and knew that Stiles was out and about. “I missed you.” 

Derek could hear the smile in Stiles’ voice, his tone low and warm, the way it had sounded back in his penthouse. The sound of it penetrated all of Derek’s defenses, seeping into his bones, awakening his more primal side.

Derek slouched against the wall, biting his lip to control his grin as the warmth of Stiles’ voice rippled through every cell of his body. 

“Sorry I missed your call, I was in a meeting earlier.” 

Derek slid his hand inside his pocket and popped a single claw to slice at the fabric, allowing him to find another thread to tug.

“That’s okay,” Stiles replied. “I know you are a busy person.” 

The background noise dimmed dramatically, as if Stiles ducked into somewhere private, away from the busy sounds of the street. 

“I wanted to talk to you,” Stiles said, his voice sounding a bit cautious. “About San Francisco.”

San Francisco. 

Either Stiles was going to tell him that he would be thrilled to spend the weekend away with him, or…

Derek pulled at the thread in his pocket, wrapping it around his fingertip. 

“Yeah, of course. Did you want me to come by the bar or…” 

“Well, I am not there right now. I am running errands,” he paused for a few beats, “Would you be able to meet somewhere?”

“Yes!” Derek blurted out suddenly. Then, he cringed and moved the phone away from his face so he could take a deep breath. Bringing the phone back up to his face, he continued, “I can meet you today, sure. Where were you thinking?”

“Do you know where Think Coffee is?”

“That’s in the East VIllage, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Sure, I can be there in...” Derek pulled his phone back to check the time, “I can be there in about thirty minutes. Does that work for you?”

“That’s perfect!” Derek could hear the smile in Stiles’ voice again. 

“Okay, I’ll leave now. See you in a bit!”

“See you then.”

Derek ended the call and slipped his phone in his pocket. He grinned to himself and let out a fist pump. 

“Am I interrupting something?” 

Derek whipped around, feeling the blush warming his skin, and he was met with Cora standing in the doorway to the conference room. 

Derek cleared his throat and adjusted his tie. 

“No, you weren’t,” he replied coolly. “What are you even doing here?”

“I came to bother Laura,” she answered succinctly, cocking her head to the side, looking Derek up and down, her eyes sharp and appraising. “Who were you talking to?”

“A client,” Derek grumbled, brushing past his baby sister to leave the room. “I’ll be back later,” he shouted back over his shoulder as he headed to the elevators. 

“Have fun on your lunch date!” she yelled after him, laughing to herself. 

Derek rolled his eyes as be pressed the button to summon the elevator.

*

Derek took the train for the first time in years, cringing internally at the smell and the number of people packed in there. Even if there was a seat available, he refused to sit down, worried about getting his seat dirty. When he reached his stop, he couldn’t get out of the train fast enough, taking the stairs up to street level two at a time. 

A few blocks later he finally saw the small coffee shop, nestled in between a few other larger buildings, and made his way over. 

Even though it wasn’t lunch time, the place was packed. Derek scanned the crowd subtly scenting the air, searching for Stiles amongst all the other patrons. A fluttering movement caught his eye, and Derek zeroed in on the motion to see someone waving at him. 

It took Derek a few seconds to realize that it was Stiles.

Stiles had somehow managed to secure a small table in the back corner of the cafe, and stood there waving at Derek with a bright smile on his face. Derek reached his hand up and waved back, and started weaving through the crowd, moving towards Stiles, the two never breaking eye contact the entire time.  
.  
As Derek made his way through the crowd toward Stiles, it occurred to him that if Stiles hadn’t caught his attention, he wouldn’t have recognized him at all. Derek had only seen Stiles in his elaborate Dolce attire, in a fancy button down and dress slacks, or completely nude.

This was the first time that Derek had seen Stiles looking...normal.

Stiles was wearing a Mets t-shirt underneath an unbuttoned flannel and khakis. He had a pencil tucked behind his ear and his hair looked adorably rumpled, as if he had been running his fingers through it. Derek noticed the backpack draped over the back of his chair, and Derek wondered if he’d interrupted more than just Stiles running errands.

With each step closer to him, Stiles’ grin grew larger and larger. He waved, somewhat shyly, and as Derek tuned out all the other noise in the cafe, he honed in on the steady rhythm of Stiles’ heartbeat, using it as a beacon to ground him and guide him towards home. 

“Hey,” Derek grinned, reaching out to hug Stiles. 

Stiles looked a bit caught off guard at the gesture, but quickly returned the hug, burying his face into Derek’s neck, his hands gripping Derek’s hips firmly. Derek held Stiles securely, dipping his head so that he could subtly inhale the soft sweetness of Stiles’ scent.

Eventually Stiles leaned back, looking up at Derek with a warm smile and Derek reached up to stroke some of Stiles’ hair back from his forehead, allowing his finger to brush against Stiles’ skin. 

“Did you order already?” he asked.

Stiles shook his head and took a step back from Derek, albeit reluctantly. 

“No, I did not. When I first walked in, someone was getting up from the table, so I rushed over to claim it as quickly as I could,” he smiled, obviously proud at being able to secure a spot in the busy cafe.

Derek bristled Stiles’ use of the word “claim,” but quickly recovered, trying to keep his mind out of the gutter while he was in a public place.

“I’ll order for you,” Derek said brusquely, nodding his head in finality and glancing back to the line at the counter. 

For a split second, Derek worried that he sounded a bit to commanding, like he was _telling_ Stiles instead of offering. The last thing he wanted was for Stiles to think he was some controlling alpha trying to assert his dominance over an omega. 

But, before he could worry for much longer, Stiles grinned brightly and rattled off his complicated coffee order, even telling Derek he wanted a chocolate covered croissant as well.

Pushing all insecurities aside, Derek nodded and told Stiles he’d be back in a bit, then headed toward the busy baristas. Derek repeated the order to himself over and over in his head as he moved through the crowd, terrified of messing it up when he finally got to the counter. 

When it was his turn to order, he blurted the order inelegantly to the barista, proud of himself for not screwing up Stiles’ drink, and ordering something for himself as well.

While he waited toward the side, he glanced back at Stiles, surprised, but very pleased, to see that Stiles was already watching him, with a dreamy smile on his face. Derek looked away, feeling a blush creep up his neck. 

It wasn’t too long before the barista called out his name, and Derek returned to their table with their drinks and Stiles’ plated croissant, which had been heated up, and his own black coffee, and sat down at the small table.

Stiles pulled off a piece of the croissant, pushing the plate into the middle of the table to share with Derek. Even though he quickly pulled his hands back from the plate, Derek didn’t miss the sight nervous tremble of his fingers.

Derek flipped his tie over his shoulder so it wouldn’t dip into the plate as he leaned in to tear off a piece of the croissant. Derek could smell how on edge Stiles was, and his jitters were making Derek jittery. 

He knew Stiles wanted to talk about the upcoming trip, but with the tension that was radiating off of him, Derek wasn’t getting a very good feeling about what Stiles would have to say.

“You said you needed to talk to me about San Francisco?” he prompted, biting into the croissant.

Stiles nodded, shifting in his seat and leaning forward, closer to Derek. 

“I did.”

Derek lifted his eyebrows expectantly, but waited patiently while Stiles seemed to brace himself for this discussion.

“I can’t go.”

As soon as the words registered in Derek’s mind, his heart sank into the pit of his stomach, disappointment pulsing through his veins.

“You can’t?” Derek’s voice didn’t crack, but it sounded strangled even to his own ears. He slumped slightly in his chair, before he caught himself and rearranged his position, trying to play off the motion as something much more casual. 

“Does it conflict with your work schedule or something?”

This time it was Stiles who shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. “No, it’s not work, my boss was cool with it.”

Derek couldn’t be upset with Stiles; if he didn’t want to go, then he didn’t want to go. But Stiles had seemed so genuine when he said he wanted to go. 

“It was my dad,” Stiles said, somewhat quieter. He rolled his eyes, and reached up to scratch his neck, his fingers still a bit shaky.

That…..wasn’t what Derek was expecting to hear at all. 

“Your dad?”

Stiles nodded. 

“I see.” Derek swallowed thickly. 

Of course Derek knew Stiles’ father worked in law enforcement and was protective of his son, so it shouldn’t have been surprising. But Derek was still disheartened to hear it. 

Stiles leaned forward, taking Derek’s hand in both of his own, his eyes imploring.

“Believe me, Derek, if I could go with you, I would in a heartbeat. But my dad…” he trailed off, biting his lip before he continued, “I live under his roof. I have to listen to his rules.”

“I understand,” Derek nodded, rubbing his thumb along the back of Stiles’ hand. 

And Derek truly did understand. 

Stiles worked at an establishment that was barely legal and morally questionable. While most patrons were just wealthy people with extra money to spend who liked the entertainment, there were surely some who were just as wealthy and used that money to buy things that no other omega would willingly give. 

Dolce had rules and protocols to keep their staff as safe as possible, but Stiles’ job was by no means _safe _.__

“Is it because I’m an alpha or because we met at the bar?” Derek asked, unsure of whether or not he really wanted to hear the answer.

“Both?” Stiles cringed, and his voice ticked up higher at the end, making it sound more like a question than an answer. 

“I asked if I could go on a trip with a friend,” Stiles squeezed Derek’s hand with his own, “But he knows all of my friends and he was getting suspicious when I wouldn’t say which one. Then, when he asked where I knew _‘this friend,’_ ” Stiles changed his voice to mimic his father’s suspicious tone. “And I didn’t want to lie, so I said it was through work.”

Stiles sighed heavily, pulling his hand back to run it through his hair. Derek set his coffee down so he could grasp Stiles’ hand between his own, mirroring the way Stiles had held his earlier. 

“I tried to keep it vague, so he would think that you were maybe someone I worked with,” Stiles bit his lip, “But then he asked about your presentation.”

If Stiles were going on a trip with a fellow omega coworker wouldn’t be a big deal. But if that coworker was an alpha...

“And you told him.” Derek wasn’t asking, because he already knew.

Stiles nodded sadly, “I told him.”

Very few parents would be willing to let their unmated omega child go on a trip across the country with an alpha that they had never met for themselves, especially if that alpha met their child through a place such as Dolce.

“I didn’t want to lie,” Stiles said beseechingly, imploring Derek to understand his decision. “He’s my _father,_ he’s my only family.” 

“I’m glad you didn’t,” Derek said, his gaze locked with Stiles’. 

Derek stroked the skin of Stiles’ hand with his thumb again, trying to calm him down. Derek could smell the tension and unhappiness radiating off of Stiles. Derek didn’t want Stiles to be so distressed over this. 

“After he found out your presentation, he said over his dead body would he allow me to go to San Francisco with some alpha that I met from the bar.”

As much as it would have made things easier if Stiles would have lied to his father, the absolute last thing Derek would have wanted was for Stiles to start out their relationship on lies. The truth was better, even if it was something Derek didn’t want to hear. 

“So what if I met him?” Derek asked automatically, before his brain really even had time to process the thought.

Stiles looked a bit stunned, blinking a few times as the words registered in his mind. 

“What?” 

“What if I met your father,” Derek leaned forward, suddenly comfortable with the idea. “Would he be more inclined to let you go if he had a chance to meet me first?”

“Uhhhh,” Stiles’ sputtered, his mouth opening and closing a few times like a fish. Finally, he shook his head as if knocking his thoughts in order. “Yeah, I mean, I guess.” 

A curious smile graced his lips, and he cocked his head to the side, his expresion a mixture of amusement and disbelief as he appraised Derek. 

“You want to meet my dad?”

“I want you to come to San Francisco with me.” Derek shrugged, a smile appearing on his own face. “And if I have to meet your dad first, then I will.”

Stiles’ grin grew larger, his eyes twinkling mischievously. “That’s an awful lot of trouble to go through just to get a date for a party.”

“This isn’t entirely about the trip, Stiles. This is about you.” Derek leaned forward and brushed a hand softly across Stiles’ cheek bone, cradling the omega’s face in his palm and marking him with his scent.

Before Derek even had time to worry if he was being too forward, Stiles leaned further into Derek’s hand, nuzzling his palm, and gazing at him with his expressively soulful hazel eyes. 

“To be honest,” Derek continued, voice low and intimate, “I’m not even excited about this damn trip. I’m really just excited about spending the time with you.”

“Yeah?” Stiles’ lip quirked up into a smile, his eyes wide and hopeful.

“Yeah,” Derek said, trying his best to mimic Stiles’ accent, earning a huff of laughter from the omega. 

Derek leaned in the rest of the way and pulled Stiles closer to him, kissing him slowly and sweetly at their table in the middle of the crowded cafe. Stiles looked somewhat dazed as Derek pulled back, and Derek ran a thumb over Stiles’ plump lower lip.

“If you want me to meet your father so you can go with me, then say the word. I’ll be there with bells on.”

Stiles chuckled, clearly amused at the American idiom, “Why would you be wearing bells?”

“I have no idea what that expression even means, to tell you the truth,” Derek laughed, his eyes darting back down to Stiles’ lips.

As tempting as it was to get lost in Stiles’ mouth again, Derek needed to let Stiles know exactly where his head was. This wasn’t about San Francisco. Not at all. 

“Even if you didn’t want to go with me,” Derek continued, his eyebrows pinching together as his expression sobered, “If you simply wanted me to meet your father so that we could date with his blessing, then I would do that too.”

Derek could hear Stiles’ heartbeat sped up a fraction of a beat, a blush appearing on his cheeks. He smiled bashfully at Derek, cocking his head to the side. Derek’s eyes were drawn to the expanse of pale skin that was bared to him, stirring his instinctual desire to mark him. 

“You want to date me?” Stiles asked.

“I thought we’d been over this already,” Derek’s voice dipped low again. He swiped his thumb over Stiles’ lower lip one more time. “I want anything you’ll be willing to give me.”

“And I already told you, you can have everything,” Stiles rasped, his voice breathy. 

The two looked at one another, lost in their own world and completely oblivious of all the action around them. Derek thought he could have spent the rest of the day sitting across from Stiles and gazing at him like this. 

“I want you to meet my father,” Stiles said, almost shyly.

“Then I’ll meet your father,” Derek replied with certainty, not missing a beat. “I’m serious about this, Stiles. I’m serious about _you_.” He squeezed Stiles’ hand in his own again, stressing the importance of his words. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.”

“Me neither,” Stiles grinned, his eyes lighting up.

Derek leaned in so he could kiss Stiles once more, but the moment was interrupted by his phone buzzing in his pocket. 

“Shit,” he breathed, pulling back very, very reluctantly so he could slip the phone out of his pocket. He glanced down to see Peter’s name as the incoming call.

“What?” he growled, not hiding his annoyance at being interrupted. 

“Derek, I’ve been looking for you all over the damn building. Where _are_ you?”

“I’m not in the building, I’m downtown,” he sat back in his chair. 

“Ew. Why?”

“What did you need?” he sighed.

Stiles withdrew his hand from Derek’s, and pulled off another piece of croissant, popping it into his mouth. 

“I needed to go over a few contracts with you. Which we were _scheduled_ to do after your meeting with Laura.”

“Something important came up,” Derek cut off his uncle. Stiles coughed into his hand, but Derek could see the smile he was trying to politely hide. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“You’d better, or else I’m--”

Derek hung up on his uncle, grumbling under his breath.

“I have to get back to work,” he said, regretfully.

“Yeah, of course,” Stiles said, nodding. He sat up straight in his chair and ran a hand through his already tousled hair. “I should probably get going too.” 

Stiles finished the croissant while Derek downed the last bit of his coffee. Derek got up to return the plate to the counter while Stiles twisted around in his seat to grab his backpack, and the two exited the cafe. 

“Do you need a ride anywhere?” Derek asked as he stood at the edge of the street looking for a cab to take him back uptown.

“No, I don’t need one,” Stiles jerked his thumb over his shoulder, toward Washington Square Park, “I’m going this way.”

A cab finally pulled up to the curb and Derek opened the back door to talk to the cabbie, “You can start running the meter, just give me a minute to say goodbye.” 

He turned back to Stiles leaning in to kiss him one last time before he left. “I’m sorry I had to cut this short.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Stiles shrugged, reaching up to flip Derek’s tie back over his shirt, straightening the knot dutifully. “You’re busy.”

Derek leaned in and kissed Stiles’ forehead. 

“You give me a date and a time to meet your dad, and I’m there, Stiles.” Derek said seriously, brushing his hand down Stiles’ arm. “If you want me to meet him, I will.”

“Okay,” Stiles nodded, biting his lip. “I do want you to meet him.”

Derek leaned in to kiss Stiles’s lips one more time before the cabbie honked the horn, obviously ready to move on.

“C’mon, loverboy, I don’t got all day!” he shouted out the window.

“Get out of here,” Stiles grinned, winking as he pulled away from Derek, shoving him playfully.

Derek grinned, but got in the back of the cab, rattling off the address for the tower (amused when the cabbie’s demeanor changed after he realized who Derek was), and sitting back in the seat. 

Derek and Stiles watched each other the entire time until the cab finally pulled away, and Stiles offered another wave and a grin.

 

Later, in the office, Derek didn’t hear a single word that Peter had said during their meeting, because he was too busy thinking about the omega who had captured his heart. 

*  
Derek had finally made it through the long day of work, and just as he stepped into the elevator to head down to street level so Greenberg could take him home, he felt his phone vibrate in the pocket of his slacks. 

He expected to see yet another message from Peter, but instead he was pleasantly surprised to see that it was from Stiles. It gave a date, time, an address in Queens, and a short message that read, _Leave the bells at home. ;)_

Derek chuckled under his breath, bending to set his briefcase down on the floor of the elevator, freeing up his hands so he could respond. 

Derek: I can’t wait!  
Derek: Do you work tonight?  
Stiles: Yeah :(  
Derek: Would you like to come by afterwards for dinner?  
Stiles: Is “dinner” a euphemism?  
Derek: Ha. No, but if you'd like, it can be.  
Stiles: What's with you trying to feed me all the time. Is this an alpha thing. Trying to provide for me??  
Derek: Maybe.  
Stiles: ;)  
Stiles: I get off work at midnight.  
Stiles: I'll get off with you later.  
Derek: I'm rolling my eyes at you.  
Stiles: LOL  
Derek: Do you want me to send my driver so you don't have to take the train?  
Stiles: Actually, I would. That would be awesome.  
Stiles: Thank you!!  
Derek: I'll have him wait outside the bar for you.  
Derek: You’re welcome :)

The thought of meeting Stiles’ father left Derek feeling nervous as hell, but there was no way he was going to back out now. 

This relationship, or whatever the hell it was, was moving way faster than he would have ever anticipated, but Derek knew that Stiles was absolutely worth it. Derek had never felt this way about anyone before. 

Normally, Derek was the king of dragging his feet and being weary of commitment and moving too quickly. But with Stiles, Derek felt the exact opposite. He felt that if he moved too slowly with this, he’d miss his chance for good. 

And Stiles was someone Derek absolutely did not want to let get away. 

There was something special about their connection, something deeper. And Derek was determined to do whatever he had to do to prove to Stiles he was committed to this.

He let out a burst of air, shaking his head at his own head-over-heels state of mind. 

As surprising as the quick decision seemed, Derek knew without a doubt that he wanted to go through with this. If meeting Stiles’ father was the only way he’d be given permission to continue seeing his son, then he would do it without second thought.

Derek was going home to meet Stiles’ father.  
  
  
*  
*  
*

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to get this up much sooner, but my life has been insanely chaotic for the past few months. Anyway, here it is now. I proofread it before I posted it, but frankly, I've had a nightmare of a day, so my focus is a little....nonexistent. I'll go through it again later when I have my wits about me.
> 
> Your kudos and comments mean **so, so, so** much to me. I try to respond to all comments, but lately it's gotten harder and harder. So just know, that even if I never respond to your comment, trust and believe that I have read each and every one over and over, and saved them in my inbox to read when I'm feeling not so stellar. You guys mean more to me than you will ever know.


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